To Be or Not to Be...a question for the Philanthropist in all of us

Read recently about capitalist juggernauts like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates getting onboard the philanthropist express.
It’s a recent craze, and I’m glad to hear it’s taking root (and unlike most crazes, I believe this is here to stay).
The world has become more conscious of its social responsibilities and those that have profited the most from meritocracies can pause long enough to use their wealth to help out those left behind.

It’s a tricky subject to broach, no one wants to feel a charity case and even those on the lowest end of the social ladder still want to be treated with dignity and respect –which is a difficult interaction to manage when two people enter a relationship on uneven footing. But this is one of the challenges individuals and now organisations are tackling.

Organisations like NACRO, who offer basic skills courses and back-to-work pathways for young people who are outside the system, are facing increasing challenges to provide a service to the community and the individual, as well as meeting their administrative, housing and fuel costs.

Thankfully, organisations and charities are able to include businesses as partners, using the capitalist model to benefit their own ends, where previously close-mindedness prevented such a route. Government is also walking hand in hand with private firms and allowing philanthropy to thrive.

On a quantum level - more people are taking to the streets and running for charity.

Partly aided by an awareness of health issues and self-motivated goals to achieve something rewarding, average Joe’s are now raising money every year for many worthy causes.

This is a good thing. A world that is acutely addressing issues on a macro and micro level – a globalisation of philanthropy.

Philanthropy is different to charity – it is not a one-off handout or a merciful intervention on the part of the helper.

It is a trade-off between the skills of the philanthropist (and including his/her capital, contacts, access to resources, knowledge of the environment and situation as well as his/her general practises as a human being) and the involvement and dedication to change from the individual (or group of individuals) to make those changes occur.

Ashoka, an organisation I interpret for, provides individuals in otherwise economically challenged backgrounds, the opportunity to raise capital as well as the entrepreneurship skills to get ideas from the blueprint to the development stage. Hopefully, in the process, raising tangible assets such as money and improved resources for the community, but also intangible assets such as greater knowledge and the expertise for growth and development.

Everyone benefits in a society if more of its members are educated, housed, feel secure from crime and therefore better able to contribute to its running. Not to mention the dignity a person feels when they are able to secure a job and a living wage, put their children through school, and own their own home.

This is something philanthropy aims to address.

To combine a person’s resourcefulness and allowing the opportunity for that resourcefulness to grow and develop within the individual for the benefit of the community.

So if business heavyweights such as Buffet can make a difference – so can all of us, whether we’re paid to or we volunteer.
It is very simple to develop understanding – it is a matter of application of intent and an ability to listen (multiplied by time).

Businesses are now acutely aware of their image in a more social conscious world (see the recent financial market problems, not to mention, the issues in Dakar, climate change et al) and I believe whatever motivates a business is the same as what motivates an individual to do something outside of their immediate realm – namely, the combination of interests and values.
It is in a businesses’ interest to display human qualities such as compassion and respect for the customer, the environment, the economic climate, just as it is important for it to address balance sheets, profits and shareholder dividends.

If a customer obtains a bad service, he won’t come back. If prices are raised without improving service, customers won’t be able to spend as much in the long run. A business doesn’t benefit by pitching itself against the world. Co-operation and integration are key.

The same for us as individuals and groups – if we turn the other cheek, mind our own business (it is a skill to mind your own business correctly), ignore a cause, leave it to someone else etc, then we help contribute to a society that will make it harder for us to go about our business unaffected. What we put out there in the world, on the whole, manages to find a way back to us.

I can only commend people who, in their small ways, attend not only to their own families and friends needs, but to the needs of society as a whole. If you learn a new skill, you can benefit by increasing the odds for a better salary, but you can apply those skills to give some other person the opportunity to do the same. It’s a chain that we form a part of.

So run and raise money as much as you can, donate as much as you can, get involved in your neighbourhood board, become a governor at your child’s school, become a boy’s boxing club patron, take ownership and accountability for yourself and the immediate world around you, join a society such as the Red Cross - help shape and implement change.

It’s a choice between "nothing" and "movement" and everyone has their part to play.